Author: richbedhall
-
Learning the Lingo
Almost ancient history now, back in Britain in 2010, I thought it a little exotic to be dating a Finnish girl. She had almost perfect English, the locals thought that she might have come from The Netherlands, because after living in the UK for a decade had picked up all the slang and mastered understanding…
-
Squirrel Business
We have a couple of little lodgers in the corner of our roof. The tufty eared, fluffy tailed red variety of squirrels, Sciurus vulgaris. They have been surprisingly active all winter. Instead of longer periods of hibernation they have been raiding the neighbours and our bird feeding stations. The easy availability of food must be…
-
Waiting for Summer
My motto of ‘Happiness is an inside job’ is particularly valuable when it is minus ten outside with light snow showers. I don’t envy those who have to work outside in this colder weather. In Finland, most of the outside work closes down for the winter. Building sites go quieter after the summer and autumn…
-
The Finn Edge
The English Migrant’s View Having moved here to Espoo with my lovely Finnish wife in late September 2012, I was looking forward to the adventure of setting up home in a new country. I had visited previously in 2006 with a group of my business and agricultural students which was unforgettable particularly as we drove…
-
Between You and the Road
From the 1st of November to 31st March in Finland, tyres are required appropriate for the conditions, a legal requirement but also drivers will notice a huge benefit on snow using winter tyres. Summer tyres are made of harder rubber for better wearing characteristics in warmer weather and also have less aggressive tread patterns for…
-
Some Snow How
Coping with a long Finnish winter is mostly about mindset and preparation. Of the two, being properly prepared is important and also helps the mindset. October is the month for getting ready for winter and not just admiring the misty mornings and leaves falling. Since moving to Finland, I have got into a winter preparation…
-
e-Biking Around
Sitting in the middle of a cold snowy winter it’s hard to imagine Finland will ever be warm again. Time for thinking about next summer’s activities and reminisce about the long hot days of previous years. One summer I cycled each day to work, about 6 kilometres. It was cheaper than going by bus and…
-
Coffee in Finland, an Obsession
The USA with numerous established coffee shop chains and other culinary outlets is always associated with coffee drinking but in terms of world consumption it is only middle ranking in the statistics. You may not know that Finland has one of the highest rates of coffee consumption in the world at around 10 – 12…
-
Swimming Pools!
Even though I get enough daily exercise in my work life and walking the dogs (6 – 10 km per day), I do like to get a weekly session at one of our local swimming pools. We are spoilt for choice in Espoo, with 6 pools within 10 km of home. All have gym facilities,…
Happy in Finland 